Max the Matchmaker
by ButterflyMeadow
Summary: Something is going on between his older sister and his idol, and Max Maple is going to find out what! AdvanceShipping one-shot: Ash/May or Satoshi/Haruka


**A/N: So, back from Canada, everyone! Got this idea on the plane XD AdvanceShipping, Ash/May, very **_**very **_**slight ContestShipping bashing.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pokémon AdvanceShipping would exist.**

**Max the Matchmaker**

**By Meerca aka Butterfly Meadow**

Seven-year-old Max Maple frowned as he looked at his older sister May. Her normally sparkling sky blue eyes were fixed at the grassy path beneath her. A baby Pichu toddled across the path, right in May's eye line, and she didn't say anything. Max sighed. _May didn't squeal over a cute Pokémon? She's so totally out of it._

Max turned his gaze to Ash Ketchum, his idol ever since he'd seen the Silver Conference. At least _Ash_ was making an effort to act normal. But instead of rigidly looking straight down, he was rigidly looking straight ahead. Max sighed again. _Ash's out of it, too._

"What's _wrong_ with Ash and my sister?" Max asked Brock quietly. "They're acting so _weird_!"

Brock chuckled. "You'll understand when you're older."

"When I asked May, that's _exactly_ what she told me!" Max pouted stubbornly, crossing his arms. "So what if I'm younger? There are some things I understand better than you guys!"

"If you want to know so badly, just watch their reactions." Brock grinned at the young boy. "Don't worry, you'll have plenty of opportunities to find out."

"Okay . . ." The disappointment was evident in Max's voice, but he followed Brock's advice and began to watch Ash and May. He took mental notes of their behavior.

_So . . . they're not talking to each other. They won't sit, stand, or walk next to each other. They're zoned out of everything happening around them, and Ash won't even acknowledge Pikachu. Whenever they_ do_ make eye contact, they blush and look away again. So this could mean . . ._

"_EWWW, GROSS!_"

"_Pika pi?_"

Everyone looked at Max in surprise. May forced herself to smile. "What's wrong, Max? You seem to have inherited something from your dear older sister."

Max flushed a little and forced out a few airy laughs. "Oh . . . just stepped in something, is all. Nothing to worry about. Everything's just fine!"

_No, everything's _not _just fine! That's just _nasty_! How can it be possible?_ Max looked between Ash and May again to see their cheeks dusted with a dark pink. _My sister and my hero _like_ each other! _

Max caught Brock's eye. Brock was grinning, and he whispered, "So, got an idea?"

Max stuck out his tongue in disgust to answer, and Brock laughed. "Must be hard for you to wrap your head around, especially since May's your older sister."

"Do they . . . _know_ they like each other?" Max ventured, grimacing at the taste of romantic words in his mouth.

"Since Ash told me about a week ago, I'm guessing not."

Max sank into his thoughts. Brock was right, this _was_ a hard thing to wrap his head around. Max may have had the IQ of a Pokémon database, but when it came to love, he was left in the dust. Max just didn't _understand_ love, not yet, at least, but he could tell how hard these feelings must be for Ash and May to handle. Ash could tell Brock, but Max's poor older sister had no one to go to for help or advice.

_Am I feeling sorry for them?_ Max realized. He glanced up at May, who looked close to tears, and Ash, whose deep brown eyes were filled with a puzzling emotion instead of their normal adventure and challenge.

Sure, Max didn't know much about love, but he knew when to cook up a plan to help his older sister.

_At the Pokémon Center . . ._

"Hey, Ash, can I borrow Pikachu for a minute?" Max asked as the group settled down for the night. Ash shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Sure."

Pikachu bounded over to Max, looking at him quizzically. "_Pika?_"

"Okay, Pikachu, there's something I need you to do for me." Pikachu raised an ear so Max could whisper to it. "Around midnight, get Ash out of bed and outside to the main corridor. I'll take care of the rest from there."

Pikachu cocked its head to one side, perplexed, but nodded affirmatively. "_Pikachu!_"

Max smiled. "Thanks a ton, Pikachu." Pikachu returned to its position Ash's shoulder. _This had better work . . ._

_Later that night . . ._

A faint beeping and vibrating awoke Max, and he slipped his PokéNav out from under his pillow while putting on his glasses. It was 11:57. He'd have to wake up May—but that was not going to be an easy task.

Max sidled over to his older sister's bed and tapped her shoulder. "May?"

No response. Max tried again, a little louder. "May?"

His older sister stirred. "What is it, Max?" she asked foggily.

"I need to use the bathroom."

May groaned, but hoisted herself out of bed, rubbing her eyes and straightening out her bed-headed brown hair. "I told you not to eat too much at dinner," she sighed in annoyance. "Let's go."

_That was easier than expected. So far, so good._

The Maple siblings exited their room quietly and tiptoed down the main corridor to the restrooms. "Go on in, Max," May told him. "I'll be waiting right here."

"Yeah, okay." Max opened the door to the men's restroom, frowning. Where was Pikachu with Ash? It had to be midnight by now!

"What are you waiting for, Max?" May asked impatiently. "I need my beauty sleep, you know."

"May? Max?"

May suddenly stiffened and she reddened. Ash stifled a yawn, his messy black hair even messier with his bed-head. Max gave Pikachu a thumbs-up. Pikachu seemed to understand the situation, and, with a huge grin, went back to Ash's room.

"What are you guys doing up?" Ash asked, meeting May's eyes sheepishly for a fleeting second.

"Um, I was taking Max to the bathroom," May replied, looking down at her puffy pink slippers. "H-how about you?"

"Pikachu woke me up and brought me here," Ash shrugged. "I guess he knew you were up . . ."

Silence settled between the two Trainers, and Max closed the bathroom door, staying close to it to hear what would transpire.

"So, um, May . . . I kinda can't sleep . . . do you wanna take a walk outside or something?"

"Oh! Oh, um, sure, okay!"

Max took that cue to turn on the faucet, pretending to wash his hands, and opened the bathroom door.

"You used the bathroom that fast?" May said skeptically.

"Yeah," Max responded offhandedly. "I'll head back to our room, okay?"

May still looked suspicious, but she nodded. Max walked up the hall and turned left, but he didn't head to their room. He peered around the corner; Ash and May had made it outside. He tiptoed back down the corridor and out of the exit. Outside, he found refuge behind a tree that was close enough to Ash and May for Max to hear. It took the two about a minute to finally start a conversation.

"It's a pretty out here," May commented. "The stars are always so bright when we're farther from cities."

"Ever since I was little, I'd look up at the sky before I went to sleep," Ash recalled. "And make wishes on all of the stars I could see."

"What kind of wishes?"

"To keep my mom happy . . . to be a Pokémon Master and make lots of friends on my journeys . . . to have Pikachu by my side forever . . . stuff like that."

"Oh." May seemed a little disappointed.

"What do you wish for?"

May smiled. "Pretty much the same as you, I suppose . . . keeping Max, Mom, and Dad happy . . . being a Master Coordinator . . . always having friends beside me . . . hoping that . . ." May trailed off.

"Hoping that . . . ?" Ash urged her on.

May blushed. "Oh, it's nothing."

"You can tell me, I won't laugh."

"Well . . . hoping that my . . . crush will like me . . ."

"Oh . . ." Ash gave a timid smile. "I bet he likes a great girl like you."

May smiled and blushed. "Aww, thanks, Ash."

Max facepalmed. Keep going_, you two! You're so close!_

"Um . . . you won't mind if I ask you, right?" May shook her head no. "Uh . . . is it Drew?"

May's eyes widened for a second, but she shook her head. "I can see why you think that. With him and his roses 'for Beautifly.' But no, it's not Drew."

"Then . . . Brock?"

"I love him, but as a friend." May smiled shyly. "You're close, though."

"Um . . . can I have a hint?"

_How dense can a guy get?_ Max thought, shaking his head.

May took a deep breath and looked into Ash's eyes. "It's you, silly. I love you, Ash."

_YES!_ Max silently cheered.

"May . . ." Ash looked surprised, and with a blush, he answered her. "I love you, too."

A strange silence settled over them, and Max peeked out from behind the tree to see what was happening. Ash and May were kissing. Though Max pulled a face, he knew in his heart that this was the right thing to happen. Max wasn't one to show affection, but he loved his older sister. He knew that she deserved everything she wanted. _Mission accomplished,_ Max thought contentedly, standing up and heading back for his and May's room.

Max settled into his bed, new thoughts entering his mind. _Will May still love me as much?_ he couldn't help thinking. _Will she still have time for me?_

But Max knew in his heart that May would still be the same older sister to him. He closed his eyes, exhausted from the day's events, and drifted into sleep.

_Ten Minutes Later . . ._

A tired but overjoyed May opened the door to the room and entered quietly. She cast a gaze upon the blue huddle that was Max under the covers and smiled fondly. He'd slept with his glasses on again, just like those numerous times at home, when Max had been reading all night. May sat on the edge of his bed and removed the glasses from his face, placing them onto the nightstand.

"Oh, Max . . . I know you're behind all this," May whispered lovingly, stroking her little brother's black hair. "As my younger brother there's nothing else you could've done to make me happier, Max. Saying thank you isn't enough."

May slipped under the covers, bringing her arms around Max and pulling him closer to her. "I love you, Max. I'll always be there for you, and I'll always be your older sister."

And as his older sister drifted into her own dream world, Max smiled.

**A/N: And some sibling fluff at the end :) Well, please R&R! I'll probably do a GymShipping fanfic next.**


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